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Talk:KThxBye/@comment-3575890-20180109004909
I am so tired of the "what about the menz" counter-argument. It's not a valid argument. Period. It's a deflection designed to take away the attention from women and shift it back to men. The claim that men are more likely to be victims of violence is not baseless, but is VERY simplified. It depends on what KIND of violence. Women are more likely to be victims of sexual violence and domestic violence, as well as spousal homicide. And actually, we can say that violent crimes are gender-specific because there are specific crimes that both men and women alike are respectively subjected to more than the other. Men are more likely to be victims of the most severe form of physical assault, especially with a weapon, whereas women are more likely to be victims of sexual and domestic violence. That being said, this can be acknowledged without ruling out that one gender can be subjected to the same crimes that the other is statistically more targeted. Let's take a look at an example that is so prevalent today that it absolutely can be considered a gendered issue, and from the flip side of the spectrum: suicide. This is one of the most discussed and predominant issues attributed to men. Let`s deconstruct this. When you broaden the subject matter down to the base issue, then yes. Suicide is not a gender-specific issue. It affects everyone of all backgrounds. BUT when you take into account the undeniable evidence founded on research studies and statistics that show the disproportionate rate that men are predisposed to suicide ideation and more likely to commit suicide than women, it DOES become a gender-specific problem. Even more so, when you attribute the root cause to socially-conditioned traditional standards of masculinity men are pressured with. It is absolutely a men`s issue. See how that can be acknowledged without erasing people other than men who are affected. To summarise, suicide is a broad issue that affects everyone. But male suicide is a whole `nother subject and yes, a gendered issue because the stats and studies are prevalent enough that it calls for discourse and to be treated as a separate issue apart from the base subject matter. So now, running with that concept, the same can be said for sexual violence. More often than not, women are the statistical targets. BUT men are assaulted too, and the way this is addressed versus the other side of the coin is so disproportionate that it`s an issue bisected right down the middle between the sexes. The thing is, so many of these issues are multi-layered, so variant, so discrepant in how they are handled, they cannot be simplified down to just one platform for discussion. Indeed, female offenders are less likely to be punished to the same degree as men, but that stems from the mindset that seems to be the norm in our society, which is ingrained in this falsified idea that men cannot be harassed or assaulted; it`s in the same ball park as the attitude that men cannot be victims of sexual assault because they are biologically engineered to want sex all the time, but we all know that`s bullshit. The problem is that people have it drilled into their heads that only men are aggressors and that traces back to traditional gender roles that negatively affect men just as much as women. "What about the menz" is like equating systemic racism with racially-charged prejudice (against white people). It's comparing being called a cracker to being called a racial epithet that harkens back to days when black people were taken from their homelands to be enslaved, dehumanized, and abused. Yeah, ‘cracker’ might hurt someone’s feelings, but ‘cracker’ is not loaded with the history or racial hatred contained in the latter derogatory. It's like comparing a paper cut to a bullet wound. And no, racism and sexism are not at all the same thing, though they can and often do overlap. They are two very separate issues that call for individualistic discourse. I am merely being analogous in respect to the meaning of the word 'systemic' lost on so many. Fundamentally, we have achieved equality. But can we really say that we have true equality when women and men are still socially conditioned in adherence with traditional gender roles that you`ll see every day in our media, our institutions, our social conventions, and our every day discussions. When double standards still disrupt room for more progress; when men and women are still held to separate standards from each other in ways that affect their lives in more ways than some might think. When men are emasculated when they don`t fit the traditional standard of what is masculine. When women are branded bitches if they aren`t paradigms of virtue. Then there's the idea that women are underpaid disproportionately to men because they tend to prefer more nurturing and feeling type careers, that just so happen to pay less - which that alone is enough to raise some eyebrows, but let's break this down. Women DO more often than not choose these types of careers. BUT we should not neglect to acknowledge that a huge reason for that is because women are subliminally conditioned to think these are the careers most suitable for them. It`s exactly the same reason that men who secure these exact positions are often mocked and ridiculed. Because men are thought of as incompetent nurturers. How many stay at home dads and male nurses do you know who aren`t mocked by somebody. It`s undeniable that even today, men and women are still expected to play certain roles in accordance with traditional gender norms. It`s reflected in the divide between what constitutes as a male-dominant job and female dominant job. Otherwise, there wouldn`t even be such a thing as gendered jobs. 'It’s important to accept that in a free society, women will, on average, go for feminine careers?' No. It`s important to accept that women are pushed towards these career paths before they are even old enough to think about starting a career at the same time that boys are met with social pressure to grow up to secure leadership and managerial positions and/or work higher-risk jobs and extra hours. Feminism does not divide. Feminism addresses the already existent divide and works towards closing the gap between men and women that is continually facilitated by a social system that's thrived for centuries in consigning men and women to historically outdated and limiting gender roles.